Uruguay ended their Asian tour with an emphatic 4-1 friendly victory over South Korea in Seoul. The win handed interim head coach Diego Forlán his first triumph at the helm, bouncing back from an opening defeat to Japan.
La Celeste controlled the match from the outset and opened the scoring in the 13th minute through a Darwin Núñez goal, assisted by Giorgian de Arrascaeta. De Arrascaeta himself doubled the lead in the 27th minute following a through ball from Matías Araujo. Uruguayan pressure forced an own goal from defender Kim Min-jae before halftime, and Núñez completed his brace in the 62nd minute, set up by Guillermo Varela. The lone reply from the hosts came in the 80th minute, later credited to Son Heung-min after a Korean FA review, though initially attributed to Lee Kang-in.
Son's Record
Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min expressed doubt about the authorship of the goal that allowed him to equal his country's all-time scoring record. "I didn't really feel the goal was mine, to be honest, but I'm proud of the record achieved," said the South Korean captain. The strike was his 58th for the national team, tying the mark held by former coach Cha Bum-kun, and also his 300th professional goal across his club career.
Context and Next Challenge
The victory snaps a run of two defeats and two draws in their last five outings, which included the loss to Japan (3-1) just four days prior. The team now travels to India for their next fixture, a friendly scheduled for October 6th.
The most concerning absence for the coaching staff is Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who was substituted in the 77th minute due to a left wrist complaint. His condition will be assessed in the coming days ahead of the trip. With this win, Uruguay faces the next phase of preparation with increased confidence, aiming to solidify Forlán's project for the year's objectives.
First reported at Mundo Deportivo
